Cheaper patches?

[HICO_Eagle]

Not only is the patch ridiculously large, but the logo on it is silk screened or some other similar process, meaning it'll eventually get trashed from repeated cleaning unless you get the shirt dry cleaned.

 

This prompted a thought. On a recent visit to the local Scout Shop, I looked over the uniform parts and patch bins because I was curious about the Centennial uniform and looking for uniform parts for my newly-Webelos nephew.

 

I was dismayed at the cheap look and feel of the new patches, even the red troop numerals but most importantly, the American flag patch! I'm flabbergasted that National thinks it's good to have boys buy $40-50 shirts and stick $0.25 Chicom-junk patches on them. I'd rather spend a little more on patches that look decent and wear well than on a shirt they will outgrow in a year or two (especially since the patches CAN be moved to the new shirt as they grow).

 

Some of my favorite patches are on their 4th or 5th shirt and still look good after 30-odd years.

[lagosscouter]

Wait - It gets better!!!

I did dry clean mine as I did not want to ruin the cheap Patches.....The cheap Boy Scouts Of America - That is NOT a patch any more is now falling off. Cant even move the one (That is a patch) from my old shirt as the Beige color is differant.

 

Lagos Scout

[Eagle92]

So I guess that when I get the alterations done to my shirt, i.e. moving the swiss tabs and sleeve pocket up, I should go ahead ahead and get the BSA Strip directly embroidered to the shirt.

 

Glad I have an unused flag patch from back in the day.

[jr56]

Someone posted earlier that BSA uniforms are guaranteed. Suppossedly, if the patch falls off, you can return the shirt for a replacement. If enough people do this, and they have to replace enough shirts, maybe they'll get the message and stop trying to sell cheap pieces of junk.

[Eagle92]

Yep i'm the one who mentioned the lifetiem guarentee. After sewing a bunch of patches on my new shirt, and being a little on the anal retentive uniform police side with sewing and resewing a few of them, I realized that I don't want to have to sew a bunch of new patches on another shirt. SWMBO loves me and said she will embroider the info as a bday present.

 

You know your wife loves ya when she not only likes getting a vintage uniform for her birthday from you, she agrees to do some scout embroidery for your birthday

[FScouter]

"I'm flabbergasted that National thinks it's good to have boys buy $40-50 shirts ..."

 

The price for a new uniform shirt is $24.99.

 

[Lisabob]

FScouter, that is the price only for the youth-sized cotton short sleeve shirt. I had thought a major point of moving to supplex was to have a fabric that actually performs adequately in the field. So let's look at what those more functional supplex shirts cost.

 

The youth-sized supplex short sleeve shirts are $34.99.

 

Of course by the time most kids are 13 or so, they need an adult shirt, not a youth shirt.

 

Adult-sized supplex short sleeve shirts will cost you $39.99 and adult-sized supplex long sleeve shirts are $49.99.

 

I think HICO is right on target. For these prices, I'd expect better quality in the details. If I bought a $40/$50 shirt anywhere else with similar issues, I'd stop buying that brand of clothing. Unfortunately that's not an option if one wishes to be fully uniformed in the BSA.

 

[BadenP]

Well you all could ship your ruined shirts directly to Bob Mazzuca at National and demand not only a refund but a new supplier as he was the one who made the decision to go the cheap way with Chinese sweatshop labor. Everyone here is correct the new shirts are inferior in quality and the new patches are a joke, more like rubber glueon stickers.

 

A real way to show your disatisfaction is not to convert, supply is running a two fer sale right now on the old uniforms so you can stock up. So the choice is you can choose to conform and convert or stand up and demand better from National by refusing to buy the new "monkey suit". However I think most scouters are lovers not fighters, lol.